Control
by masterctarl
Summary: Sequel to Snow. Everything is starting to come together, and everyone has a story to tell. The final battle is nearing. Contains slash. Rated for such.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Animated or any persons, places, or things associated with it. Those belong to Hasbro and Takara. Please don't sue me.**

**A/N: **Alright, everyone. After four months, here it finally is. Chapter 1 of Control, "Connections". I'm so so SO sorry this took so long! I had most of it done a while ago, but I hit a writer's block so bad I felt completely unmotivated to write NOTHING. Literally, not a word for any fanfic at all. But, I had to work on this eventually, so here it is. Because you would have killed me if I took any longer, lol.

**A/N 2: DO NOT READ THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE READ ****SNOW****.** I cannot stress that enough. Otherwise _nothing_ in this fanfic will make sense. Oh, and I fixed your space physics for you. You're welcome.

**A/N 3: **This covers quite a few characters in the series. If you spot some characters that have been left out for this chapter, _please_ do _not_ point it out. I know that I've left some characters out. There is a reason for that. But yes, Evil E. Evil, you do get some Shockwave. Finally. Enjoy.

**Edit:** Since I worked on this at 6:30 in the morning, I had to go back through it and correct some mistakes and make it more generally readable.

**Warnings: This chapter contains some Jazz/Prowl, but nothing more than hugging. If you don't like this, then you obviously didn't read ****Snow**** first and should probably stop reading this now anyway.**

**Chapter 1  
Connections**

::Two Orbital Cycles ago::  
::Aboard the Steelhaven::

"We're clear of Earth's orbit in 3... 2... 1..." Jazz flicked the stabilizers and the ship's roar dulled. "Ship's stabilized. Wanna call home and tell 'em we're cruisin' down?"

Sentinel cringed. "No, that's alright. I don't want to… er… bother the council with it. Obviously, they have a lot to deal with right now." He still couldn't believe Optimus had given the credit for the captured 'Cons to the ninjabot. On top of that they didn't have the original prisoner they were sent to retrieve. It was humiliating.

"A'ight. We'll be reachin' home in half a' orbital." The black and white cyberninja leaned back, crossing his feet on the consol and looking at the view screen of the retreating Earth. What a wild world, no matter how many times he visited. Humans were stylish and showed it in every way they could. And it was hard to stay there long and not be affected. He'd probably keep his Earth alt mode for a while. "What a crazy place."

"Don't remind me," the Prime muttered. "_Do_ remind me to have the ship disinfected, though. I want it as sterile as the stellar it was made."

"Aw, come on. The humans aren't that bad," Jazz grinned.

"They were seeming harmless to us," Jetstorm commented. His brother nodded.

"Yeah, well you didn't have to…" Sentinel shuddered, "…_touch_ one. Or meet the yellow glitch's _pet_."

"Pet?" the twins chorused.

"Bumblebee's human friend, Sari," Jazz explained. "She's not a pet, though. She's a little girl - equivalent to a femme younglin'. Prowl told me she upgraded herself, though."

"Great. She's worst than before," Sentinel muttered. "Thank Primus I don't have to deal with her again."

"C'mon, SP, she wasn't that-" Jazz was cut off by an explosion.

"What was that?!" Sentinel snapped, looking at the twins.

"We didn't do it!" they chorused. He raised an optic ridge at them. "Sorry, reflex," they said sheepishly. They started checking screens.

"The camera in holding cells is out!" Jetfire informed them.

"There has been breech in hull!" Jetstorm added.

"The prisoners!" Sentinel and Jazz jumped up.

()()()

The twins made it to the cells first, opening the door without thinking. Immediately the suction of space tried to claim them, chassis whipping through the door like rag dolls. Jetstorm grabbed the doorframe with one hand and his brother's with the other.

"So nice of you to join us!" Sunstorm purred. He, Ramjet, Blitzwing, and Lugnut were standing at the opening, claws digging into the metal walls and bracing them against the suction.

"Yes, nice indeed," Blitzwing's Icy face agreed calmly. "But I am afraid ve need to pop out." His face spun to the jagged smile of his Random persona. "Pop goes ze Blitzy!" He let go and jumped out, spinning uncontrollably for a moment before turning into his fighter jet mode and jetting back toward the planet behind them. Sunstorm waved and quickly joined him.

"You were fools to think you could stop us from awaiting our glorious leader's return!" Lugnut declared before jumping out after them.

Sentinel braced himself against the wall outside of the room. "Well?! What are you waiting for?!" he called to the twins. "You've got a free servo! Blast 'em!"

Jetfire nodded and held his free hand out. He activated his flamethrowers but nothing happened. He tried again. Only smoke. "I cannot!" he called back. "They are needing oxygen, which is being sucked out of room!"

"What about you?!" Sentinel looked at his brother.

"I am needing one hand to keep from flying out, and other to holding onto brother!"

"Too bad!" Ramjet had been watching with amusement. "Hope you all make it safe!" The liar gave a wave and let go. Soon, he too was gone.

"Perfect! Would someone at least seal up that hole?!" the Prime snapped.

"Here!" Jazz made his way around their leader and braced against the doorframe. "Jetstorm, pass your bro! Then you can seal that hole, dig?"

Jetstorm nodded. He looped his legs around, grasping the door with them and carefully letting go with his servos. He grasped his brother's other hand and they nodded to each other in understanding. He swung his brother like a pendulum a few times to get momentum against the suction. "1... 2... 3!" On three he let go.

"Gotcha!" Jazz grabbed Jetfire's pede before space could claim him. "I got 'im! Now, 'Storm!"

Jetstorm activated his turbines. The zero-atmosphere of space made it impossible to make wind, but the ice built up freely, covering the hole in the hull. As soon as it was sealed the ship automatically restored the artificial gravity. The four Elite Guard members were unceremoniously thrown to the ground with an "OOF!"

"Great…" Sentinel growled, standing up and brushing himself off. "We just lost four Decepticon prisoners before we even got a hundred mechanometers from the planet. The council's going to _love_ this."

::December 27::  
::Detroit, Earth::

"Are you progressing in your search for the escaped prisoners?" Perceptor's mechanical voice asked on the view screen of the warehouse's communication center. From the looks of the cluttered room behind him he seemed to be calling from his own office, which was unusual for a council member. The sounds of electrical crackling could be heard in the background.

"We're doing the best we can, but still no sign," Sentinel answered. "We'd search more efficiently if Optimus's crew spent more time helping and less time fighting this planet's battles for them."

"Primus forbid they do their job instead of yours," a gruff voice said over the background noise.

"Jack…" Perceptor glared off-screen. His optics returned to the temporary Magnus. "We are giving you five more solar cycles. You must return to Cybertron after that, with or without them. Remember, until Ultra Magnus recovers _you_ are temporary Magnus. This means that, whether we like it or not, your planet needs you."

Sentinel grinned triumphantly. He enjoyed the pained way the Head of Science said it, as if acknowledging that Sentinel was _needed_ was worst than offlining. "I won't disappoint you and the council. I'll be the best Magnus you could ask for," he assured him. At the look he was given he quickly added, "Temporarily."

"Just don't break the planet!"

"Wheelja-!" The connection was cut.

Sentinel rolled his optics. His first order of business upon return would be to see what budgets he could cut. If any, he'd be cutting the Science Division budget immediately. See if they can learn some respect.

"Sentinel Prime, sir."

Speaking of respect. At least the twins knew their place. "What is it, Jetfire?"

"We've been searching the known former bases with Bumblebee but it is not looking like they have been here."

"Prowl and I have been scannin' for their energy signatures, too, but so far all we got is some old parts from some previous battles. We'll keep lookin', though," Jazz added.

"Good. I want them found and brought in. I don't care if it's in pieces!" He slammed his servos on the console. He had to find those Decepticons. He had to bring them back and show those Council stiffs that he was ten times the Magnus the one on the repair table was.

"Sentinel, calm down." Optimus approached from behind, putting a hand on his shoulder plate. "Yelling at your team like that won't get those 'Cons found any faster."

"Don't tell me how to do my job!" the temporary Magnus snapped at him.

Optimus let go, holding his servos up in a gesture of peace. He'd never seen Sentinel so tense, not even during their academy days. This was obviously important for him. "Don't worry, we'll find them. Both of our teams are doing their best."

"I'm more concerned about the escaped toys," Ratchet grumbled, coming in. When they'd returned Christmas day from busting SUV's Christmas heist, they discovered the toy Soundwaves had made a break for it. How they escaped their Plexiglas prisons was as much of a mystery as where they'd gone.

"Bulkhead and Sari are working on that. They're scouring the area. It's only been two days, they can't have gone far."

"I'd gotten some basic scans in. It was… strange. The one that controlled Jetfire was carryin' his energy pattern, like it scanned and mimicked it. I don't know what that means, but…"

"Hey! We've got a bunch of escaped 'Cons somewhere in your precious organic city, remember?" Sentinel snapped. "Could we be a little more worried about them and a little less about your lost toys?"

"Maybe _you should_ be concerned! After all, those 'lost toys' attacked _yer_ junior officers!" Ratchet growled, poking his chest plate.

"They'll be fine! I'm more worried about any ambushes that might be out there!"

()()()

Jazz sighed and shut off his commlink. "They're arguin' again. 'Cept this time it's SP and Ratchet."

"If they spent as much time helping as arguing we would have found them by now," Prowl rolled his optics behind his visor. He gazed across the city skyline at the sunset and the still-snow-covered city.

Jazz stood next to him, watching him out of the corner of his optics. "Hey, isn't this how this all started?"

"Hmm?" Prowl glanced at him.

"On a roof. Lookin' at the sunset and snow."

Prowl smiled. "Indeed. There's something different this time, however."

"Yeah?"

Prowl leaned into him, planting a soft kiss on his lip components. "Something very different indeed." He sighed, more content in that moment than he'd been in stellar cycles. The last two days they spent searching for the prisoners, and the nights they spent in his still decorated room with his violin. Ratchet had installed Jazz's new speakers and tested them. The power was astounding. But he'd trade them and his chassis to boot for the peace and warmth he got from being with Prowl.

The sun dipped and gleamed across Prowl's samurai mods. Again, Jazz paused to observe how beautiful they made him. No, _he_ made them beautiful.

"We should get back," Prowl muttered, entangled in Jazz's arms, helm resting on his shoulder plate.

"Yeah, we should, shouldn't we?" Jazz agreed.

"Yeah."

"Yeah…"

Neither moved.

()()()()()

"Are you sure there is being nowhere else?" Jetstorm asked, sitting on the roof of a building on the other side of Detroit. His brother sat beside him and Bumblebee sat on the other side of Jetstorm. They were watching the sunset as well.

"The only other place I can think of is the secret lab on Dinobot Island, but only Blackarachnea used that. I don't think the other 'Cons even know it's there. They wouldn't mess with the Dinobots, anyway," Bumblebee shrugged.

"They weren't so tough," Jetstorm grinned.

"Yeah, _you_ guys can say that. It had nothing to do with the fact that you're functioning experimental super-weapons with Starscream's flight protocol hardwired into your systems," the yellow bug retorted. He then sighed. "Whatever. The point is they're not here, so we should get back and report our big, fat nothing to Loudmouth temporary-Magnus. He's gonna blow a circuit."

"Whatever you are saying," the twins shrugged. They were actually enjoying the moment of relaxing, but they supposed they really didn't have a choice. If they didn't get back soon Sentinel would start yelling at them over the commlink.

"Alright. I'll meet you there," Bumblebee hopped off the roof, transforming halfway down and taking off as soon as his tires bounced onto the street. He was never one to stay in one place for a long time.

"Shall we be going?" Jetfire asked his brother.

"Let us shall," the blue and yellow twin grinned back. They leapt off of the roof as well, but unlike Bumblebee they took off into the sky, transforming into their jet modes.

"Last one there is glitched sparkling!"

"That would be explaining your face!"

The pair jetted off, weaving around the city and laughing.

'_Brother.'_

"What is it?" Jetstorm asked Jetfire over the commlink.

"What is what?" Jetfire asked, puzzled.

"Did you not just call me?"

"No. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, nevermind. Must being imagination chip."

"Or you are trying to distract me."

"I don't need distraction to be beating you!"

'_Soon, brother.'_

"… you did not just say something again, did you?" the blue and yellow twin asked.

"Of course not. Are you sure you are being okay?"

"Yes, yes. Is probably nothing."

'_Soon we will be whole.'_

Jetstorm ignored it this time. It wasn't his brother, he knew it. Perhaps the minor lingering snow was causing his commlink to pick up another? Whatever it was, it wasn't his concern. It didn't sound like the Decepticons, and it wasn't any of the Earthen Autobots, so it wasn't his business. Or, so he thought.

()()()()()

"Sari, Bulkhead, any luck finding those two escaped toys?"

"We searched the entire perimeter of the warehouse. If we went any further we'd hit the city, and there's so many of those things we wouldn't be able to tell which are the ones we're looking for. …is that yelling I hear?"

"Yeah, Sentinel got in it with Ratchet. Head on back, everyone else is. We'll figure out something tonight."

"K. Sari out."

"Wow," Bulkhead muttered, retracting his optics, which he'd extended to use as binoculars. "A bunch of escaped 'Cons, a couple 'a processor-controlling toys, and Megatron still out there somewhere with Omega Supreme. You know, Sari, I think we may be in over our heads."

"Pfft, nonsense," Sari waved it off, packing up the energy sensors she'd borrowed from Ratchet. "We've never been in over our heads before. No matter the odds, we can get through anything. Cause we've got friendship and teamwork and all of that other after school special stuff they tell you about on television. And TV doesn't lie about that stuff. It lies about a lot of other stuff, but not that."

"If you say so. Where do you think those toys got off to, anyway?"

Sari thought for a moment. "I dunno. I remember from when I was a kid that toys are always in the last place you look when you lose them. We've searched the warehouse, and all outlying areas, populated city not withstanding. So they'll probably be in the city somewhere. But it'll take forever to find them if they got there."

"Tell me about it. I wonder how those things got out of their boxes, anyway. I mean, didn't you and Ratchet make those so they _couldn't_ get out?"

The teenager shrugged. "We never said it was perfect. Anyway, come on, we should get back. The twins and I are going to try and beat Bumblebee's high score in Speed Highway 4."

Sari and Bulkhead returned to the warehouse, feeling a bit down about not finding anything yet again, and unconfident that they'll find them in the city.

"Don't worry, Sari," Bumblebee winked at her as they sat on the sofa, watching the twins play the racing game. "Tell you what, I'll go with you guys tomorrow instead of looking for the 'Cons. I mean, they're not finding them any faster with my help, anyway."

"We will be less likely finding them with_out_ your help," Jetfire pointed out, his little car on the screen turning a corner and spinning out. "Aw, come on!"

"Tough luck, brother!" Jetstorm laughed. "As the humans are saying, be eating my dust!" His car sped past as Jetfire struggled to get his back in the race.

Jetfire stuck his tongue out at his brother, then returned to what he was saying. "And besides, Sentinel Prime, sir, would not be too happy if you were not helping."

"If you haven't noticed," Bumblebee huffed, crossing his arms, "I don't care what he thinks. Optimus is my boss-bot, not Sentinel. No matter _what_ shiny, new title he's gotten."

"Why are you not liking Sentinel Prime, sir, so much?" Jetstorm asked.

"Do you want the list?" the yellow bug snapped.

The orange and white twin stopped and looked back at him, giving up on trying to catch up to his brother and the computer-controlled cars. "He is not being so bad, once you are getting used to him," he reasoned. "It is true he is not being… er… friendliest boss, but he is only doing job. He has not broken Cybertron yet."

"Keyword being 'yet'…" Bumblebee muttered.

::Cybertron, Elite Guard Science Division::

"I cannot believe you interrupted my call with Sentinel Prime," Perceptor's tinny, mechanical voice drifted down the East Wing.

"Temporary Sentinel _Magnus_," Wheeljack corrected, making his vocals sound like Sentinel's. The Head of Science made an odd sound with his mod-less vocals, unidentifiable to anyone but his partner. "See? _You_ think it's funny."

"It is amusing when it is not interrupting official Council business."

The pair were heading down the hall to the scrap incinerator. There was a call to repair it, as it seemed to be malfunctioning for the third time that orbital cycle. Since it seemed determined to keep breaking down, those who had tried repairing it before finally risked calling the Head of Science to try fixing it himself. He normally wouldn't bother wish such small, trivial tasks, but he had a very distinct reason for wanting to help with this job.

The door to the elevator opened leading down to the incinerator. "Alright, I'll see if I can fix the incinerator," Wheeljack announced. "You do what you do best. Ya know, besides modifications. And science in general. And bein' unmatched in processor power. And givin' me looks like the one yer givin' me right now. And… I should just shut up now, shouldn't I?"

"That would be advisable."

"You know, I like ya a lot better when yer laughin'."

"And I like you better when you are not talking."

"Ouch, Perce. Just… ouch."

Perceptor glanced at him, a smile spreading across his features. "And you say I have no sense of humor."

"Hardy-har," Wheeljack rolled his optics as the elevator opened into the scrap incinerator. It was piled with mounds of scraps and parts. The weapon scientist watched his partner's optics light up. Perceptor rubbed his servos together in anticipation. "You know, bots don't throw this stuff away so you can pick through it," he pointed out as they made their way across the walkway to the control panel. Perceptor stopped short, turning off down some stairs into the piles. "It's all _junk_."

"One bot's scrap is another bot's central cooling unit," the Head of Science called up to him, sifting through piles of parts.

"They can usually buy a new one, you know," Wheeljack called back, opening the panel and getting to work. They had to be extra careful with it. Due to creator oversight they'd put the control panel on the _inside _of the incinerator, and no one had bothered to relocate them. Perceptor suspected the constant bursts of heat were frying the panel, which caused the malfunctions.

"Yes, but not all bots are compatible with newer parts. I, myself, run completely on what many would consider 'outdated' parts. And I am functioning just as well as any other. Besides, most of my best modifications are made with 'scraps'." He picked up a few parts, looking them over and tossing them behind him.

"Yeah, yeah. Tell me if you find anything that would truly impress me." He continued working at the panel, noticing a sudden silence. Perceptor wasn't even moving. "Percy?" He moved over to the rail and gazed over. Perceptor finally bent down and picked something up, turning it over in his hands. It looked like a large blue cube of metal. "Come on, that thing's been compacted! No way you can even use it!" He rolled his optics again, finishing up with the panel. "Come on, we've gotta see if this thing's workin' now!"

"Coming!" Perceptor tucked the cube under his arm, grabbing a rail and hurrying up to him.

"Do you _hafta_ bring the cube?"

"Yes." Perceptor held it up, looking it over. "There is… something oddly familiar about this."

"Whatever. Come on, I don't wanna hafta explain to the council that ya got fried in the incinerator cause ya hadda go back fer a chunk'a scrap metal."

The pair quickly retreated from the incinerator to see if was working again. They were both oblivious to the desperately clinging, dull pulsating light inside of the cube of scrap metal tucked under the scientist's arm.

()()()()()

"How's he doing, Red?"

"About as well as the last time you asked, Hot Shot. You know, five cycles ago."

Red Alert clicked at the repair report for Rodimus Prime, the mech on the recovery berth before them. He was resting, as ordered by the medibot. Red herself had been given a quick repair job after their battle with Team Charr, being needed to help repair all of the bots being turned from soldiers into casualties during the increasing number of Decepticon uprisings.

"I can't help it," Hot Shot was practically hopping from one pede to the other with impatience. Or, at least he _would_ have been if not for the fact that he at the time only _had_ one pede. He used a pair of crutches to move around while they waited for his new leg to arrive. The spare parts many soldiers needed were backlogged with the increasing amount of repairs needed. "Until my new leg gets here I can't really do anything. And I'm worried, Rodimus took a lot of damage before and after getting rusted."

"Don't worry, Hot Shot," Red Alert grabbed his shoulder plate and turned him around, steering him back to his own room. He struggled to keep from falling over as he hopped ahead of her. "Rodimus will be fine. All of his damage is repairable."

"But-!"

"No buts! Get back in your room and rest! I'll get you some holovids if you need something to do, but you can't hang out here!" She pushed him into the room he was assigned as they waited for the replacement for his missing appendage, causing him to stumble on the crutches a bit. "I promise, everything's going to be fine. But being out here will just get you in the way of all of the medibots. We're already having enough trouble between keeping all of the other soldiers online, and repairing…" She trailed off.

The young soldier knew who she was talking about without her saying it. "How is Ultra Magnus doing?" he asked quietly. The attack had happened while they were all in the repair bay with their damages. Brawn and Ironhide had managed to get out and back on the field under a different commander, having only minor damage and eager to get some revenge. But those in the repair bay who could move around found themselves visiting the window outside of the Magnus's room often just to make sure he was still online.

"He's… stabilized. For now." Red Alert cleared her throat components, feeling as if something was sticking in them. "We're doing what we can. But he's a very old model, even if regularly upgraded. Some of the parts he needs replaced simply… don't exist anymore."

"But he's gonna be okay… right?"

Red Alert looked at the young mech. He looked so hopeful. Just like all of the other young bots that came into the repair bay to see their downfallen commander. She felt like she had to tell him that everything was going to be okay. But… she couldn't lie to him. Not after all the time they put in together on the battlefield. "I don't know, Hot Shot. I really don't know."

()()()()()

"Check down there, I've got this way!"

Shockwave melted into the shadows of the underground systems of Cybertron. The Elite Guard were starting to get smart. They were spreading out their search for him. He blamed the bot he used to order around, the one now in the position of Head of Intelligence. That slagging Cliffjumper. Who knew he'd be so good at his job?

"Remember, don't miss even the smallest crack! We need to find that spy before Sentinel Prime gets back and decides to relocate our search!"

"Sentinel Magnus, sir."

"Excuse me?"

"He's temporarily Sentinel Magnus, sir."

"I'm aware of that!" the red mech around the corner snapped. "This, however, is not the time to argue semantics! We are looking for a dangerous criminal!"

Shockwave narrowed his single eye and prepped his cannon as he heard the sound of approaching pedes. He should have known better than to run down there, hitting a dead end. But he was prepared to fight his way out if need be.

"Cliffjumper!"

"What?!" the new Head of Intelligence stopped just short. If he walked one more step he would have been standing right next to the spy.

"The council's trying to get a hold of you!"

Cliffjumper groaned. "Can't it wait? This is important!"

"They said now, sir!"

The red mech seemed to consider it for a moment. He finally conceded. Maybe this job wasn't all it was cracked up to be. "Alright, make sure you cover the rest down here."

Shockwave waited until they were gone before relaxing. That had been too close. He couldn't afford any more mistakes before he got those codes. Megatron was counting on him.

…Wherever he was.

::Somewhere in space::

_FLASH!_

"…am telling you that it's _completely_ relevant that I shoot lasers out of my mouth now!"

"Would you shut your gaping trap about the lasers, they weren't that-!"

_FLASH!_

()()()()()

"Will you stay still?! You should consider yourself lucky I even find you useful enough to save!"

"S-sorry!"

Skywarp tried to hold still as Thundercracker yanked at the stasis cuffs on his wrists. But the blue clone was so scary, even when he was trying to help, it was hard not to rattle. And what they had just lived through? He whimpered just thinking about it. The battle. The uncontrollable trip through the Space Bridge. And… he shuddered just thinking of the name. Megatron.

"I said stop moving!"

"Sorry!"

Thundercracker grunted in annoyance. How could he, the mighty and indomitable Thundercracker, end up stuck out in the middle of nowhere with this useless weakling? It couldn't be any fault of his. No, there were none to be found, so it had to be Skywarp's. Or better yet, that annoying blue Autobot that got away. It had been lucky he didn't _feel_ like going after him. Otherwise, he would have captured and eliminated it for sure.

"This is useless! These cuffs refuse to come off! This is all your fault!" he snapped. The clone at his pedes cowered away. He sneered. "Fine, I'll figure a way out of this mess. After all, my intellect far exceeds your own."

"Um… Thundercracker?" Skywarp's vocals cut through his processing.

"WHAT?!"

The purple clone cringed, but cautioned a nod above them.

Thundercracker looked up and spotted it. A passing spaceship. "Perfect. I knew my superior intellect would resolve this. Hold on!" He grabbed his brother by the stasis cuffs and jetted up to the ship, attaching onto its underbelly. After all, where there was a ship, there was life. And where there was life, they would eventually have to be civilization. It was only a matter of time.

::Back on Cybertron::

"So, waddaya think we should do with him?"

"Do we have to do anything? I mean, look at him. He ain't goin' anywhere. Just leave him."

"Maybe we can use him as a doorstop if he stays like this too long."

"Yeah, or maybe to scare away the glitch mice."

'_Go ahead. Laugh it up.'_

"Come on, I hear Sentinel Prime is capturing the rest of the escapees to bring back. We've gotta prepare for them."

There was a pause before the two stockade guards burst out laughing, walking away from the cell they were next to. "Oh, that's a good one…"

'_Well, at least I'm not the only one being laughed at. But still, this is humiliating. Why is this happening to me? I'm by far the least threatening of anybot wearing a Decepticon sigil, aren't I? I mean, I didn't do anything too bad. Threatened a few humans, offlined a couple of bots, sold a few less-than-legal weapons. But come on, who wouldn't have seen that coming?'_

The SUV in the cell strained a moment before giving up. _'Might as well wait this out. The time freeze can't last much longer. After all, I wouldn't have sold something that had the potential of putting me in a permanent state of helplessness. It's just a matter of time. Then it's time for a little hands-on dealing.'_

()()()()()

The eldest, most respected member of the Cybertronian Council paced the cold metal floor of his office. Everything was falling rapidly out of control. The AllSpark was in pieces, if the reports were to be believed. Sentinel, who they knew they couldn't trust, had lost four of the most dangerous Decepticons to the world their AllSpark was fragmented across. Megatron was missing. There was a Decepticon spy loose on the planet. And most of Cybertron was acting like nothing was happening. The last fact was turning this into the first Great War all over again.

"Alpha Trion?"

The dignified mech turned to the young bot at his door. "Yes?"

"Cliffjumper is on his way. He… doesn't sound too happy."

"Thank you. Send him in as soon as he gets here."

"Yes, sir." The bot saluted and left, pedes clanking behind him.

As the door slid shut again, Alpha Trion sighed. Cliffjumper was a loose cannon, but he was reliable, and undoubtedly one of the most loyal Autobot soldiers they had. He needed someone he could trust, even if it pulled him away from his current mission. The others could hunt down the spy. This was important.

::New Kaon::

"This is getting ridiculous!" Oil Slick huffed, kicking a piece of rubble. "It's been too long, he should have given us news!"

"I'm sure he has a good reason for keeping us waiting," Strika growled at him. She was hiding her worry, though. Her bondmate, Lugnut, was so loyal to Megatron that he would follow the Decepticon leader to the ends of the universe. If anything had happened to their leader, the large Decepticon would surely be the first to inform them.

"Yeah. He's probably dead. Again."

"He will be back. I trust in Megatron," Blackout rumbled.

"Yeah, yeah. You can join Strika's bondmate in the Megatron fanclub."

"Don't badmouth Lugnut, scientist! He is ten times the bot you will ever be!" the large femme warned.

"Certainly _looks_ ten times the bot I am…" the scientist muttered.

"What is that supposed to-?"

"_Silence_."

The three stopped bickering and looked over to Cyclonus who stood beyond them, tensely staring up at the distant stars.

"It doesn't matter if Megatron returns or not. If he does not, we will simply have to carry on as we were before we discovered he was still online. We will stay and wait until the time is right. And when the time comes, we will strike-!" A pair of energy swords sliced through the air. A second later, the wall behind him split into three, crumbling. "-and the Autobots shall fall to our servos."

::Back on Earth::

"Man, this is the life, ain't it Snarly?" Scrapper leaned back on his make-shift hammock, swinging back and forth. After the incident with the oil tanker he didn't know what happened to Mixmaster and Dirt Boss, but frankly he didn't much care. While Mix was his bro, he didn't really like that bossy little runt that almost got them offlined. Besides, if it hadn't been for them getting separated, he may have never met Snarl.

The triceratops Dinobot yawned and settled in the sand next to him. He knew the other two lost any respect they had for him when he joined the Constructicon, but Scrapper wasn't really a bad guy. And besides, he was tired of being pushed around by Grimlock, or Prometheus Black, or Blackarachnea, or whoever else decided to come around. He liked Scrapper's idea better. Sit back, relax, and just let the world run its course without needing to disturb them for once.

That was when it happened, though. Something in his instinct kicked in. He looked to the sky where his dinosaur instinct told him something was coming and started growling.

"Hey, Snarly, what's the matter with…?" Scrapper trailed off as his optic caught when the Dinobot had been sensing. "…oh, slag…"

()()()()()

"What wrong with Swoop?" the leader of the Dinobots demanded as the pteradon hissed at the sky. A moment later, he felt it, too. Then he saw it. Something large and red was descending upon their island. Invading it. He let out a growl toward it, but it didn't respond. Didn't stop. Simply kept coming. "Why can't anything leave Dinobots alone?!" he roared at it.

The huge red hunk of metal finally landed after a minute, crushing much of the forest that still stood after all that had happened. It steamed and settled. The Dinobots watched it warily, but after a moment… it vanished.

Swoop let out a started sound and Grimlock backed away from the bizarre phenomenon. The forest seemed to have reappeared, as if the odd… machine had never been there at all. "Me, Grimlock, confused," the T-Rex admitted, looking at his remaining companion.

"That's alright, big guy," a voice emerged from the newly reformed trees. A figure seemed to melt from nothingness, huge, black and gold. "That's the entire purpose of cloaking technology."

Grimlock roared and stomped his huge metal feet at this new intruder. "You trespass on Dinobot Island! Dinobots destroy!"

"Oh, really? You know, I like your pal's idea better."

Grimlock glanced to the side and noticed that Swoop was backing off quickly, taking to the sky. The pteradon was neither weak nor a coward, but something radiated from this intruder that didn't feel right. Something horrible and foreign.

"You, Swoop, come back! Dinobots not run!"

"It seems your friend disagrees. Now, are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way?" The stranger held out a hand, smiling menacingly. "Please say the hard way. I haven't had a chance to test out my fancy new powers yet."

Grimlock stood his ground valiantly until the invader got closer. That was when he realized why Swoop had retreated. Something was indeed radiating from this stranger. Something hot and dangerous. But he wouldn't be scared away from his own island. It was his territory. "Me, Grimlock, not scared of hot robot! Me, Grimlock, _destroy_ hot robot!"

Irradiated pedes sizzled with every step as he got closer to the unwitting Dinobot. "That's just what I was hoping to hear."

()()()()()

Still on the rooftop where they refused to move from their embrace, Prowl jerked to attention, nearly head butting the other ninjabot in the process. What had that feeling been? It felt like his spark was trying to rip from his chestplate on its own, fly off toward some unknown pull.

"Are you alright?" Jazz asked, looking concerned. Prowl had been overly distracted ever since Christmas. He seemed to be bracing himself for an unknown enemy.

Prowl glanced back to him, staring blankly a moment before shaking his head. "Yes. Yes, I am sorry. I'm fine," he smiled reassuringly. But it was a forced smile. "There is simply too much happening at once. So much on my processor."

Jazz knew it was a throwaway answer. An excuse. But he didn't want to push the issue. "Alright, yeah. I know, but we've gotta stay focused. There are still a bunch 'a 'Cons out there, not to mention those freaky toys."

"I know. I apologize," the black and gold ninjabot sighed, leaning in against him. "Alright, enough of this. We must return now." He took a step back, leaving an empty feeling between them.

"Oh, alright," Jazz groaned, sorry for the loss. "The others are probably back by now anyway. Let's go." He jumped off the roof gracefully, transforming to his alt mode on the way down and bouncing on the pavement as he took off.

Prowl moved to follow him but was stopped by another pang. Whatever it was that kept stopping him, it was close. And though he couldn't tell exactly what it was, simply the presence of it gave him a feeling of deep dread. Because whatever it was… it was calling out to him.


End file.
